Until the last ten or twenty years the most common form of apologetics regarding the first chapter of Genesis was to regard the "days" of creation as very long periods of time, corresponding to the hypothetical geological "ages." An effort to make these long "days" of creation fit into the geological scheme was made by some prominent Christian writers about the middle of the nineteenth century; and although the two series could never be made to fit at all closely, yet this method of trying to "harmonize" the creation of Genesis with the rising system of evolutionary geology, rapidly became popular, until by the end of the century it was almost universal among those who had not gone completely over to the theory of organic evolution.
However, side by side with this day-period theory, there was another theory which held that some sort of world catastrophe must have taken place before the creation of the animals and plants mentioned in Genesis 1, this world catastrophe, as it was thought, having occurred after the primary creation mentioned in the first verse of this chapter and before the main part of the second verse, a long interval of any desired length, but terminated by a world catastrophe being represented by the condition described as "without form and void." This is usually known as the "interval" or "restitution" theory. It was invented as a means of allowing the geologists to have all the "ages" they demanded for the making of the fossils and the stratified deposits, and yet leaving a place for a literal creation in six literal days after this "interval" had elapsed. This theory is still held by many. But if there is no scientific justification for the long-drawn-out geological "ages;" then the "restitution" or "interval" theory can have no possible justification or use.
Some months ago, these problems were - quite freely discussed in the pages of the Bible Champion. As a crystallization of the problem, the following declaration of belief was drawn up and was approved by such outstanding writers on these topics as the Rev. Byron C. Nelson and Dudley Joseph Whitney, as well as by the present writer. I reproduce it here:
A Declaration of Belief
"Whereas, Believers in the Bible hitherto have been divided among themselves as to how creation really took place, some holding to a long-drawn-out series of events during long geological periods; others believing in a pre-Adamic creation, a world ruin, and a reconstruction; still others believing in but one creation, as described in Genesis 1, with a subsequent world-wide ruin brought about by the deluge; and,
"Whereas, This difference in belief brings confusion to the minds of those who are not acquainted with the facts, a confusion which is entirely unnecessary;
"Therefore, We, the undersigned, after a careful and prayerful investigation of both the Scriptural and the scientific evidence, declare our conviction to be that:
"I. The stratified rocks are not the result of slow geological action during long ages, nor the result of a preAdamic ruin; but these rocks and the fossils therein are the result of the Noachian deluge and the readjustment period following.
"II. From this it follows logically that the plants and animals of our world were not produced through a long natural development or evolution, but the various kinds must have been created directly by God, in accord with the plain and simple account given in the first chapter of Genesis.
"Furthermore, There is now a series of books dealing with this subject in its scientific aspects in such a way as to prove convincing to those who have given them an impartial examination, thus giving us an abundance of scientific reasons for our total rejection of the commonly accepted theory that the earth has been the habitat of plants and animals for uncounted millions of years, or during what are commonly called the geological 'ages.'
"And Furthermore, In order that the believers in the Bible may come into harmony on these matters, we would strongly urge that all Christians take pains to inform themselves upon the scientific as well as the Scriptural grounds for this belief, so as to be able to give intelligent reasons for so believing."
A clear understanding of these issues is paramount among the problems centering in the relations between science and religion. And as our specific work for the world deals so largely with the Sabbath as the memorial of a literal creation, it would seem imperative for everyone who hopes to become an intelligent leader of the people to inform himself fully on these vital matters. I have not here the space requisite for the setting forth of the reasons for believing in a literal six-day creation. Some of these reasons have been stated in the closing pages of my recently published "Geological-Ages Hoax." As there given, the belief in a literal creation must ever be a matter of faith in a revelation from the only Being qualified to know about such an event. I do not attempt to prove the six-day idea, for I consider this wholly a matter of revelation, as no one can derive the six-day creation idea from any imaginable scientific or philosophical reasoning. It is consequently a matter of the Bible alone. The most that true science can be expected to do is to remove false ideas which would tend to deny or confuse this belief. This removing of obstructing theories is now being adequately done by our modern scientific discoveries; and it behooves everyone who wishes to have clear ideas on these points to read what has been published along this line.
There is no need for anyone to remain uninformed or even confused on these points, if he is willing to read carefully, and do some cairn, persistent thinking so as to make these modern discoveries his very own. Surely, in view of the rapidly increasing paganism of the modern world, a paganism produced almost wholly by the theory of organic evolution, we as observers of the divine memorial of a literal creation ought to prepare ourselves to give, if need be, a logical and scientific answer for the faith that is in us, an answer which will be in harmony with both the book of nature and the written word.
Berrien Springs, Mich.
